


A Way to Say "Thank You"

by transjohnnygill



Series: Friends-Neighbors-Roommates [3]
Category: D.Gray-man
Genre: Alternate Universe - Neighbors, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-07
Updated: 2016-05-07
Packaged: 2018-06-06 21:09:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,178
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6770002
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/transjohnnygill/pseuds/transjohnnygill
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tim goes missing, Link brings him back home.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Way to Say "Thank You"

Allen sighed audibly for what seemed like the millionth time that day, draped over the edge of the sofa and onto the floor like an abandoned throw blanket. His roommate Lenalee happened to walk past the living room as he sighed yet again.

She sat on the arm of the sofa beside her youngest roommate, watching him with concern as he wallowed in misery. “Cheer up, Allen, I’m sure we’ll find Tim soon…” As she continued her pep-talk, Allen’s mind couldn’t help but tune her out with the thoughts of ‘what-ifs.’ Earlier that week, Allen’s orange bottle-brush tabby, Timcampy, had managed to dart out the front door while Kanda was signing for a package. In the past, Tim had always come back within a day or two, meowing loudly at the door whenever he got hungry. It had been nearly four days with not so much as a peep from the cat. And while Tim was feisty even by cat standards, his human was becoming increasingly concerned. Even a cat like Tim couldn’t win a fight against a car.

Realizing that her words were going in one ear and out the other, Lenalee gave a small laugh as she suddenly switched the course of her narrative. “…and so then when Kanda finally decided to show up to the party, he just stood in the door way with his shirt wide open, _covered_ in hickies, and he’s just like, ‘sorry I’m late guys, I was doing things.’ And then Lavi comes waltzing up behind him wearing one of _my_ sundresses and says, “hi, I’m things” looking _completely_ debauched and—”

Allen just about fell the rest of the way off the couch, snapping suddenly back to reality, “There’s no WAY in hell BaKanda _actually_ said sorry!” At that Lena nearly slipped off the arm of the couch from laughing so hard.

“ _Of course_ that’s the part of the story that you would question.” She wiped a tear from the corner of her eye, straightening out her skirt as she stood. “Seriously though, Allen, I’m sure Tim’s fine; he’ll be back when he’s good and ready. Lavi put more flyers up on his way to class this morning, and Tim had his collar on so I’m sure we’ll hear something soon.” As an afterthought, she added, “Why don’t you do hit up that cutie upstairs to take your mind off of things, hm?”

She left him with a wink as Allen blushed profusely at the thought of his neighbor, Link. They had met several weeks ago after Link had overheard Allen playing his piano and decided to come introduce himself properly; they had seen each other around the apartment complex a few times since then, with Allen spending most of those encounters trying not to do his best imitation of a tomato. Naturally, when his roommates got word of his new “admirer,” their (they being Lena and Lavi) overwhelming concern for Allen’s lack of a love-life had the two of them taking every opportunity possible to push Allen further into the path of their upstairs pastry-chef of a neighbor. And while Allen would admit to a _slight_ attraction to Howard Link, now was most certainly not the time to be flirting. Flirting would have to wait until after Tim was home safe and sound.

Rolling off the sofa and to his feet, Allen grabbed his shoes and keys to go take another walk around their neighborhood in search of his orange friend, yelling to Lenalee where he was off to. But as he opened the door, he nearly ran face-first into a mass of blond German-man holding a large ball of agitated orange fur.

“Tim!!” Allen could have cried, denying the tears that were forming in the corners of his eyes as he plucked the cat from his neighbor’s arms, smooshing the cat’s fat face up against his own. As he looked up to thank Link, he noticed just how disheveled the older man was, his normally pristinely-braided hair falling loose in places and his beautiful face and arms—Allen cringed— _covered in_ _claw marks_. “L-link, are you—”

“I found him stuck in a tree in the park.” Link explained, looking warily at the cat that was now purring contently in Allen’s arms. “He was displeased, to say the least, when I elected to _rescue_ him from said tree.”

Allen gave a small laugh in spite of his efforts to refrain, “I’m not sure if I should say thank you or apologize…Tim really did a number on you…” He unconsciously held the cat a little tighter, silently promising that he’d finally file Tim’s nails down some like he had been meaning to, positive that Link wouldn’t want anything to do with either of them after the damage that those nails had inflicted.

Link looked away from Allen with a gentle shrug of his shoulders. “Perhaps you can give me your number, and we’ll call it even…?” Allen almost dropped Tim, quickly regaining his hold as the cat gave a cross yowl over being displaced. There was a pink tinge across the German man’s cheekbones, whereas Allen was sure that his entire face had just turned the color of a perfectly cooked lobster.

“ _Stayrightthere_!” Allen spilled out, turning and quickly retreating back into his apartment with his cat. Link stood there stunned and wide-eyed, not entirely sure what had just happened. The white-haired teen returned as quickly as he had left, shoving a slip of paper into his neighbor’s face with a series of hastily scrolled numbers on it, face still enflamed.

Link smiled as he processed what he had been given, taking out his phone and sending a text to the number so that Allen would have his as well. “I will talk to you later then?” Allen managed to give him a small nod, and Link took that as his queue to depart, leaving the teen with a smile and a wave that could have melted him into a puddle in spite of the cool November weather.

Allen reentered the apartment, finding Lenalee standing in the kitchen where he had left her in the minutes prior, having dumped Timcampy in her arms before sprinting back outside to where Link had been waiting for him. She stared him down knowingly, a gleam in her eyes and a small smirk on her lips. “So he cooks and rescues cats from trees.” Allen said a very loud nothing, reclaiming his cat from his roommate before retreating to his bedroom where he could die of embarrassment in peace, knowing from the look in her eyes that he could fully expect to get an earful from Lavi over the turn of events when the redhead came home.

That night as Allen collapsed onto his bed, exhausted from Lavi’s antics and his usual verbal sparring with Kanda, he was about ready to pass out then and there when his phone vibrated twice, chiming to announce a new text message.

_H. Link:_

_Would you be free for dinner tomorrow?_

Allen had never typed “yes” so quickly.


End file.
